Corn plant named Sun Dance

ABSTRACT

A new variety of a corn plant distinguished by its drouth resistance, multiple types of inflorescence, bifurcated styles and profuse production of fruit, with up to five to ten ears being on one stem or culm.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of mankind's most important food crops. Maizeis also the only major cultivated plant for which there is no documentedwild ancestor and no conclusive evidence concerning its origin, untilnow. In 1979, a previously unknown relative of maize, a perennial grassat the threshold of extinction, was found in the mountains near Jalisco,Mexico, by Iltis, et al. Science vol. 203, 186-188. This grass, diploidperennial teosinte (Zea diploperennis) is in the same genus as maize,has the same chromosome number (n=10), and hybridizes easily with it.

Tripsacum dactyloides is a more distant relative of corn with adifferent chromosome number (n=18). It had been known to hybridize withmaize but not with teosinte. During the 1984 field season inBloomington, Ind., I made crosses using pollen from Tripsacumdactyloides onto diploperennis and obtained normal looking fruits.Hybrids were selected for propagation for their drouth resistance,profuse fruit production and because they appeared to be the naturalbridge to place Tripsacum genes in teosinte, thereby establishing a linkbetween wild grasses and corn plants as we know them today. Uniquepropagation of this plant through successive generations by means ofcutting has demonstrated that the new plant has not only retained thecontinuous and abundant production capability but also that itsdistinguishing characteristics hold true from generation to generationand appeared to be firmly fixed. Propagation has taken place atBloomington, Ind., Nashville, Tenn., and Raleigh, N.C.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

My new corn plant is illustrated by the accompanying full colorphotographic drawing, which shows a fully grown plant, including thenarrow long leaf, as well as tassels and fruit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW PLANT

The following is a detailed description of my new corn plant based uponobservations of plants grown under conventional greenhouse proceduresand in the field.

THE PLANT

Origin: Seedling.

Parentage:

Seed parent.--Zea diploperennis.

Pollen parent.--Tripsacum dactyloides.

Classification:

Botanic.--Zea indiana (proposed).

Habit: Essentially erect; as many as 15 primary culms, usual numberabout 5-10.

Duration:

Perennial.--Sends out shoots from a rhizome system. Plant will freeze attemperature below 28° F.

Culm:

Height.--Up to two meters; slender, simple with occasional branchingfrom upper nodes; glabrous; oval in cross section; diameter 1-1.5 cm.

Nodes.--glabrous, aerial roots develop at nodes along entire culm.

Sheath.--tightly closed enwrapping the culm, margins not united;glabrous; turns red when exposed to sun, otherwise green; red, ciliateauricles at summit margins.

Ligule.--present on adaxial side of leaf at junction of blade andsheath; length: 4 mm; membranaceous, irregular edge.

Leaf blade: Alternate; distichous; sheathing base; parallel veined;narrowly linear, flat, thin.

Length.--56-47 cm. Width: 1.5-5.0 cm.

Entire margin.--Red, serrulate.

Midrib.--White.

Adaxial surface.--Sparsely hirsute.

Abaxial surface.--Glabrous.

Prominent parallel veins.--4 per 1 cm width.

INFLORESCENE

Blooming period: Twice annually for approximately one month beginning inlate April and late October in Indiana, Tennessee and North Carolina.

Monoecious: Separate male and female flowers on the same plant;variable.

Staminate flowers: May be of two types: one inflorescence type born aspaired spikelets on a slender rachis forming 9-10 racemes arranged in apanicle, the "tassel", at the summit of the culm.

Length.--15-20 cm. Alternatively, staminate spikelets may be borne on asingle spike above the pistillate flowers.

Axis.--stiff, continuous, ascending.

Spikelet: Two-flowered, one sessile, one pediceled; Laterally compressedawnless, attenuate with red tip and red band at base; Length: 9 mm;Width: 2 mm. In pairs on one side of a persistent central axis.

Pedicel length.--3 mm.

Glumes.--membranous, flat, several nerved.

Pistillate flowers: Borne in leaf axils; spikelets distichouslyarranged; variable. One type of pistillate flower consists of a singlerowed spike of 4 to 6 triangular caryopses in hard, shell-likefruitcases enclosed in a single leaf sheath; caryopses disarticulateupon maturity. Length: 7 mm; Width: 5 mm. Color: pale to white or palewith brown speckles. Alternatively, spikelets paired and partiallyenclosed in stiff, brown speckled glumes; caryopses rounded andimbricate; Spikes enclosed in single or multiple leaf sheaths. Caryopsesdo not disarticulate upon maturity; Length: 5 mm; Width: 5 mm. Color:golden orange Styles: red, puberulent, bifucated tip: Length: 5-8 cm.

Fruit: Five to ten ears per culm per blooming period; flowers areproduced twice a year; some plants may produce approximately 100 earstwice annually.

Maturity: 45 days following fertilization.

Color: Most kernels are R.H.S. 159 C with shadings of R.H.S. 202.

COMPARATIVE PARENTAL CHARACTERISTICS A. Ear (Husked Ear Data UnlessStated Otherwise)

Length: About 51 mm.

Midpoint diameter: About 5.3 mm.

Weight: About 0.6 gm.

Kernel rows: 2 (rarely 3-4).

Silk color (exposed at silking stage): White, initially, then turnspink.

Husked color: Cob kernels are embedded in the rachis segments thatdisarticulate upon maturity. These segments are brownish gray andresemble kernels, however, they are not actual kernels.

Kernal color: Light brown.

Husked extension (harvest stage): About 1 cm.

Shank: About 6.5 cm.

Taper: Slight.

Position in dry husk stage: Upright.

Drying time (unhusked ear): About 2-3 days.

B. Kernel (Dried)

Size (from midpoint): Length about 3.9 mm, Width about 2.8 mm, Thicknessabout 2.7 mm.

Shape grade (% round): 100% round (tip pointed).

Pericarp color: Brown.

Aleurone color: Clear.

Endosperm color: White.

Endosperm type: Pop.

Weight 20 seeds (unsized samples): About 0.4 gm.

C. Cob

Diameter at midpoint: About 5.3 mm.

Strength: Poor.

Color: Brownish Gray.

Culm: Zea diploperennis round in cross section; diam. 1 cm. Tripsacumdactyloides oval in cross section; diam. 1.3 cm.

Leaf blade: Z. diploperennis. Width 1-2 cm; margins pink serrulate frommidsection of blade to tip; adaxial surface: sparsely hirsute; prominentveins: 6 per 1 cm width. T. dactylodies Width: 1 cm; margins whiteserrulate along entire blade; Adaxial surface: hirsute; prominent veins:12 per 1 cm width.

Blooming period: Z. diploperennis twice a year, end of March and end ofSeptember for about a month. T. dactyloides continously from May toOctober.

Staminate flowers: Z. diploperennis borne in tassel at summit of culm T.dactyloides staminate flowers borne above pistillate flowers in singlespike.

Pistillate flowers: Z. diploperennis caryopsis triangular in hard bonyfruitcases; Length 8 mm; Width: 4 mm; color: black, dark brown or brownspeckled. T. dactyloides caryopsis trapezoidal in hard, bony fruitcase;Length: 6-8 mm; color: pale brown.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of corn plant, substantially asherein shown and described characterized by its profuse production offruit, multiple types of inflorescence, bifurcated styles and resistanceto drouth.